What Kind of Rude Words...
Yahul cut me off, asking in a frantic tone.
"What do you mean, you won't live long?"
The Tianshan Salt Sovereign didn't answer his question.
"Starting tomorrow, we'll resume training. This time, we'll include physical conditioning as well."
With those final words, the Tianshan Salt Sovereign left the residence completely.
Once he confirmed the Sovereign was fully gone, Yahul turned back to me.
"What was that about?"
"Huh? It's nothing. Just a warning to take better care of myself from now on."
"...Is that really all?"
"Yeah."
Yahul's gaze felt piercing, but I calmly picked up the shattered teacup.
Letting out a sigh, Yahul grabbed my wrist.
"I'll do it."
"Let's do it together."
"I said I'll do it."
"Uh..."
I was pushed back and looked at Yahul.
Uh...?
He seemed a bit angry. I rubbed the wrist he'd grabbed.
Thankfully—or maybe fortunately—someone returned to break the awkward tension.
My father, who had just opened the door, paused.
"Did the Senior come and go?"
"Yes."
"Why is the teacup broken?"
"The Tianshan Salt Sovereign suddenly smashed it."
"Hm, I see."
It was a relief that no excuses were needed; the Sovereign was known for his whims.
"Call a servant to clean it up—it's dangerous."
After instructing Yahul, Father approached me and handed over one of the bundled papers he was holding.
"This letter came for you."
For me?
I tilted my head in confusion, then suddenly remembered someone.
Seok Ga-yak.
"No way— a reply already?"
It was astonishing that a response had come so quickly to the letter I'd sent before entering Changgung Pavilion.
"Can you read it? Need help?"
"Um... I'll try on my own!"
"Alright. I understand."
"Ask if there's anything you don't know."
"Yes!"
Father reached out as if to pat my head, then withdrew. I widened my eyes and grabbed his retreating hand.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
I smiled and squeezed his hand tightly. Father gave a faint smile, pulled his hand free, and gently stroked my hair.
Even after all this time, he still seemed awkward with physical affection sometimes.
That's when I caught a glimpse of another letter in his robes.
Baek Ri Clan?
It looked like correspondence from the family. Come to think of it, the air around Father felt a bit subdued.
His expressions didn't change much, so it wasn't obvious.
Suddenly, Father glanced toward the entrance and said out of the blue,
"That child from Suhyang Sect you mentioned."
"Seo Ha-ryeong?"
"Yes, that one..."
Bam!
The door flew open with a loud bang, followed by a booming voice.
"Ri-yeon!"
Her entrance was as dramatic as ever.
"Your place is too far! Why'd you move—...uh?"
Seo Ha-ryeong, who had burst in, froze.
Father continued calmly.
"I heard the commotion from afar. Is this child the young lady from Seo you spoke of?"
So that's why he'd asked.
I let out a small laugh and nodded.
"Yes. That's her."
Seo Ha-ryeong stepped back hesitantly. She glanced between me and Father before asking cautiously,
"Wh-who is this?"
Just then, a servant panting heavily appeared behind her.
"Y-young Lady Seo, y-you can't just barge in like— hah, huff."
Amid all the chaos, Yahul walked past Seo Ha-ryeong with a tray, utterly indifferent, and left the room.
I smiled and said,
"Say hello. This is my father."
After a brief exchange of greetings with Seo Ha-ryeong, Father excused himself to let us talk freely.
"So, what do you think of my father, the one you've been so curious about?"
Seo Ha-ryeong had always been fascinated by him. Father was the star of countless tales—slaying someone called the Demon Lord, wiping out an entire Black Dao faction, and more.
And she was obsessed with all the Jianghu rumors, people, especially the powerhouses. There was a reason for that.
In the story, Seo Ha-ryeong was Namgung Ryu-cheong's exposition sidekick. She had to know a lot to explain everything, right?
Clasping her hands together, her eyes sparkling, Seo Ha-ryeong said,
"He's amazing..."
"Amazing?"
"So handsome."
"...Yeah. Can't argue with that."
Honestly, even right after regressing, amid my dazed state, my first thought had been how incredibly handsome he was.
"Hey..."
Seo Ha-ryeong blushed, squirming and twisting her body.
Why is she acting like that?
Unaware of my weird look—or maybe not—she continued,
"Could you ask your father for a sparring session with guidance?"
"...I'll ask him."
"Eek!"
Grabbing my hand, she jumped up and down in excitement. She was dead serious about swords, as always.
But her joyful expression suddenly darkened—a mood swing that could raise suspicions of bipolar disorder.
"But then... you'll be going back to the Baek Ri Clan now?"
Her words reminded me of the letter from the Baek Ri Clan in Father's possession.
Thinking of the Baek Ri Clan made my chest tighten a little.
"Probably?"
"..."
"Not right away, so don't worry."
But her sullen face didn't change. It was regrettable, but leaving would be best for her sake too.
I need to be gone for her to get close to Namgung Ryu-cheong.
Otherwise, his childhood's one and only friend might vanish.
After a quiet moment, Seo Ha-ryeong spoke up again.
"Then when can we go play?"
"Go play?"
Her eyes widened as she shouted,
"You forgot? We agreed to go out together!"
"Huh?"
"How could you forget that!"
Did we? I racked my brain.
Oh, right—when she was heading back to Suhyang Sect, I'd refused her invitation to come along, and it had come up then...
I'd said it casually to placate her, but she'd taken it as a promise.
Looking hurt, she yelled,
"I even asked for extra pocket money to go play!"
Using her mother's birthday as an excuse to squeeze money from home just to hang out? Anyway, her puffed-up, angry cheeks were adorable, so I laughed.
"Aigoo, did you?"
"..."
"...I'll go ask Father right now."
The next day.
As the saying goes, pull out the iron horns while they're short—I decided to head out with Seo Ha-ryeong right away.
Father permitted it without issue. Hwiju, home to the Namgung Clan, had excellent security. No one would dare commit a crime right under their nose.
It was safe, and Father seemed pleased I was going out with a close friend. Yahul came along too.
"Ri-yeon!"
Crossing the courtyard in a flash, Seo Ha-ryeong said without even being out of breath,
"I heard! You beat the Namgung young master in a spar! Ah, I wish I'd seen it!"
Flustered, I replied,
"Who said that? I lost."
"Huh? But I heard you won!"
"No, I lost."
Then Yahul interjected with a blank expression.
"You did win."
Why is she doing this?
Yahul continued,
"It's only been a short while since your body recovered."
"So?"
"You've wielded a sword since you could walk, right? For her, who hasn't trained for months, to grab your wrist? That's humiliating enough."
A sneer curled at Yahul's lips.
"I wouldn't count that as a win."
"No, calling it humiliating is going too far..."
A chill ran down my spine mid-sentence, and I looked up—my words caught in my throat.
Is this fate?
Was the novel's setup working overtime to make these two sworn enemies?
If not, then why! Of all times! Was Namgung Ryu-cheong showing up now?!
As I screamed silently, Yahul tilted her head at me.
"What's wrong?"
Namgung Ryu-cheong answered her question.
"She's right—I lost. Strictly speaking, since I didn't drop my sword, I won, but considering the spar itself, I admit defeat too."
Yahul scowled irritably and turned around.
Namgung Ryu-cheong continued coolly.
"But I didn't find it humiliating. I thought the young lady was impressive."
His eyes turned to me.
"Only trained a few months? Hmm. Seems you don't even know your master's true skill."
Master...? Me?
"Huh? Yahul's not my servant."
That's when oblivious Seo Ha-ryeong jumped in.
Phew, at least you're the light and salt here.
Seizing the moment she shattered the tension, I squeezed between Yahul and Namgung Ryu-cheong, waving my hands to push them apart.
"Young Master Namgung, what's up?"
"Nothing."
I tilted my head.
Then why are you here?
Reading my expression, he added,
"I heard your health's improved, so I came to check on you."
"What? Just like that?"
I blurted out in shock.
This guy hadn't visited even once while I was recovering, and now suddenly?
Was the sun rising in the west tomorrow?